ENFORCING RADIO'S POWER TO DRIVE PEOPLE Chuck Taylor – Radio and Records The power to move people to action was a topic of "Driving Forces," a session at the second annual Radio Advertising Bureau New York Radio Forum, held Thursday (March 15) at the Westin Times Square.
Moderator Paul Heine, executive editor of Radio & Records, stressed that making a 360-degree connection with radio listeners--and actually motivating them into taking part actively in promotions and events--is a key component of modern-day radio marketing.
Anne Clark, director of planning and analysis for Sterling Jewelers, gave an example of a live remote that didn't just involve station personalities, but a personal appearance from Cindy Crawford. "The local personalities talked about the event on the air, and as a result, 2,000 people lined up to see her. It really worked for us."
Peggy Conlon, president of the Advertising Council, agreed that such marketing alliances work best when the client is well matched with "what issues are going to best resonate with a station's particular audience. We're in a lot of conversations with stations around the country."
She noted a particular campaign that the Ad Council sponsored, called "Generous Nation," in which the organization partnered with the RAB to maintain financial contributions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"When images leave the news, it's hard to maintain momentum for something like that, so we came up with a campaign to help keep donating alive. It was not only promoted on the air, but on station Web sites. We were very fortunate to experience tens of thousands of detections from radio. It was a very effective campaign and the kind of partnership that we love."
Tom Poleman, senior VP of programming and marketing for Clear Channel Radio, also agreed that matching client to format is a key component of successful marketing and promotional partnerships. At top 40 WHTZ (Z100)/New York, "We have a morning team member, Greg T, who pretty much plays an idiot, and somehow he was able to find a wife and now he's having a baby. So we invited 100 pregnant women to celebrate his shower with him, and arranged sponsorships with Fisher Price, Jeep, Bliss Spa and Sesame Street," he says.
In addition, the station has implemented podcasting and texting as a way to drive listeners to be more interactive with the station. "Technology is making radio more competitive," he adds. "These are fantastic ways to spread the word in a viral way. It's hard to get kids to pay attention in an ADD society. You've got to integrate your brand in a way that's hip. Kids still love music and we're still a significant part of the their lives."
Conlon also supports the use of new technology to further engage listeners. "We find it a rich partnership when we can take an emotional message on-air and ask listeners to go online and close the deal. New technology adds a richness to the experience. People hate to call. The Internet is now becoming traditional media as well."
Poleman also touts the potential of HD Radio. "The possibilities are endless," he says. "I love it because there are endless frontiers for creative programming and exposing music that you can't on a big radio station because listeners wouldn't accept it on a mass level. And ways to integrate advertisers down the road are endless. It's the new frontier." |